Loss and Love
by Greyfire34
Summary: Naruto is studying to overcome the loss of a comrade and a close friend. He has plunged into a dark depression and has turned to alcohol as a way to forget his pain. Who will be the one to pull him out of his dark realm?
1. Death of a Comrade

"More sake please!" Naruto asked the bartender as he downed his sixth shot. Ino, Temari, TenTen and Hinata walked into the bar and saw that Naruto had decided to take the night to drink away his troubles.

"He's become quite the alcoholic since the incident a few months back…." Ino whispered to her friends. "What incident are you talking about Ino?" Asked Temari. Temari had still been in Suna while the incident occurred. TenTen and Hinata looked down cast as they knew that there was a long drawn out story to be told.

Ino sighed as she began the tale. "Well it began when Tsunade-sama called Naruto and Sakura to her office."

FLASHBACK

Tsunade's desk was filled with papers of missions to be approved. She sighed and looked out the window at an ever busy Konoha, wishing she could be elsewhere instead of doing hours of paperwork. "Tsunade-sama you should really be getting these papers done so you can get out of here on time." Nagged Shizune. Tsunade rolled her eyes and then looked down at her desk. The door slammed open and a familiar pair of blue eyes and blonde hair came through the door.

"Hey Tsunade-obaachan!" Naruto called, "We got your message!"

"UGH BAKA! You are supposed to knock before entering Tsunade-sama office!" complained Sakura.

"Hello Naruto and Sakura," Tsunade said barely looking up from her desk. "We have a serious issue… we have been receiving reports that Uchiha Sasuke has been sighted in different villages, and he has been recruiting for his team the Taka. It seems he intends to make an attack on the Leaf village." Naruto's face suddenly grew very serious. "I leave it to you two to find Sasuke and stop him no matter what."

"You got it Granny! I'll stop Sasuke and bring him back no matter what!" exclaimed Naruto.

"We will do our best Tsunade-sama." Sakura said.

Naruto and Sakura headed off to the land hidden in the stones where Sasuke was predicted to be headed next.

Soon they arrived a few miles away from the village and they were in a forested area. Naruto and Sakura stopped as the voice of Sasuke filled the area. "So I heard you two came looking for me huh…"

"Where are you Sasuke! I will bring you home no matter what it takes!" yelled Naruto.

"Naruto you're still such a dobe…. If you hadn't noticed, I already have you under my genjutsu." An Image of Sakura appeared in front of Naruto. She was strung up by her hands and had shuriken, and kunai protruding for various parts of her body, like she was used for target practice. Bloodstained her lips and her right eye had closed.

"N-Naruto-kun…." Sakura gasped, "S-save m-me…."

'It's not real!' thought Naruto, 'None of this is real!' Sakura placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and yelled "Kai!" to dispel the genjutsu.

"Ah Sakura-chan… Still the smart one as ever I see." Sasuke taunted.

Sasuke had appeared before Naruto, and as expected Naruto charged right at him with all he had not stopping to realize it was a trap. As soon as Naruto attempted to strike Sasuke, he had disappeared behind him a few meters. Sakura took notice of this and charged to save Naruto from the fatal blow Sasuke was going to deal.

"Chidori Sharp Spear!" Sasuke growled, as he infused lightning chakra into his blade and allowed it to shoot out towards Naruto. Just then Sakura jumped down from the tree line facing Naruto and took the chakra blade through her heart.

"S-s-sorry N-Naruto-kun…" Sakura said as a small stream of blood started down the corner of her mouth. She gave Naruto one last weak smile. "B-bakayaro…." With that the chakra blade disappeared. Sakura fell to her knees and face first.

Naruto rushed to her side only to confirm his fear while Sasuke looked on with cold eyes. Naruto looked up at Sakura's murderer with new crimson eyes and tears running down his face. And it wasn't long before he began to sprout his first tail.

FLASHBACK END

"… and they both beat each other within an inch of their lives…. It was only later that merchants happened upon Naruto and took him in and allowed him to recover. But since then he's never been the same." Ino sighed. The girls' mood had gone sour with the story of their fallen comrade.

Meanwhile Naruto was on his eight shot and was very drunk, and began crying loudly about his childhood crush. Hinata couldn't bear to see her crush in such a depression. Naruto would never realize it but he was hurting Hinata just by being like this. Naruto was Hinata's idol of sorts, that ray of sunshine, that stood up for what was right, and showed outstanding courage no matter what situation; The hero of the Hidden Leaf, and hers as well. "Oh Naruto…" she whispered to herself. She looked up at him across the bar with tears in her eyes.

The group of girls had sat down at a table not too far to the blonde haired ninja. They all ordered drinks and engaged in gossip to help forget the previous conversation. All except Hinata who sat in silence staring at her drink and occasionally looking up at Naruto. She would take a few sips every now and then but was always careful to not get drunk in public because it would be a disgrace to her clan.

"Man… Naruto is so beyond drunk it's almost kind of funny if it weren't so sad." Temari remarked as Naruto stopped crying and started singing loudly with the music playing. All of the girls but Hinata giggled in agreement.

"Let's just hope he doesn't try to make too much of a fool out of himself…." TenTen sighed. As she said that Naruto had gotten on top of an empty table and attempted a stage dive and no one tried to catch him, except the floor. Everyone in the bar stopped dead. Some gasped, some laughed but a certain raven haired girl rushed to his aid.

"N-Naruto-kun are you al-lright?" Hinata stammered. Naruto just laughed like nothing ever happened.

"Oh hey Nata' fancy to see you here at this _floor meeting_" Naruto burst into another fit of drunken giggles at his own corny joke.

Hinata sighed at Naruto's antics, and helped him off the floor, then cleaned up the blood from his nose. She decided to walk Naruto home before he found himself in more trouble or hurt himself again.

The walk was fairly silent aside from Naruto's random fits of laughter, snorts, and falling over. They had finally arrived at Naruto's little apartment. Hinata opened to door to find ramen cartons, dirty underwear and socks strewn throughout the apartment. Naturally the apartment had an over powering smell of ramen. At the same time it smelled just like Naruto. Hinata found that somewhat relaxing, and took a deep sniff breathing out in ecstasy.

She helped him to bed and tucked him in. Naruto didn't protest as he was getting pretty tired already. "I'll come c-check on y-you in the afternoon N-Naruto-kun." She wanted to kiss his forehead but she found that her shyness had prohibited for her from doing it.

"Hinata-chan…. S-stay with m-me" Naruto slurred sleepily. The thought of staying the night with Naruto made Hinata turn a shade of crimson. As much as she would love to stay with Naruto, he was drunk and that would make for an awkward time when they woke up. Besides if her cousin Neji or her father Hiashi found out not only would Hinata be disowned and Naruto would be dead.

"Ano… I can't N-Naruto-kun… Otou-sama would be furious…." Naruto had long passed out since she had been contemplating whether to stay or not. So she just gave him a small smile taking note of how cute Naruto looked when he was asleep, turned out the lights and returned home to the Hyuuga compound.


	2. Funerals and Hangovers

**Well hello there viewers how good of you to stop by for another chapter! Sorry for the delayed update, I've been in an opera and have been crazy busy. So thanks for sticking with me! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. **

**DISCLAIMER!: I do not own Naruto in any way shape or form. Until Kishi hands over the rights... BY FORCE!**

* * *

Hinata was walking on her way back to the Hyuuga compound, when and it started to rain just like the day of Sakura's funeral. She looked towards the newly darkened sky as the water droplets hit her face. She gave a gentle sigh and thought back to the day of Sakura's funeral.

FLASHBACK

Hinata looked around in search of finding Naruto. It was no easy task considering the entire village seemed to gather at the funeral to remember Sakura, not to mention everyone was wearing black. A few minutes later she found a very dejected Naruto with his eyes down cast, and his hair sagged from being in the rain. The ceremony had begun and Sakura's casket was decorated with many cherry blossom pedals around it. The first person to get up to speak was Tsunade who talked with high regard for her student. Next Kakashi, Ino, and then finally Naruto. Naruto was already having a hard time speaking in the first place as he told of her heroics that saved his life. Finally couldn't control his tears and sobs and had left the stand.

He came and stood next to Hinata and was trying to bite back his tears to no avail. "Oh Naruto-kun…." Hinata quietly whispered to herself. Then she instinctively put her arms around Naruto's neck and hugged him tightly. Naruto didn't protest and hugged her back; Hinata blushed a little at the contact but held on just so she can be there to comfort Naruto in his time of need.

Naturally Hinata's usual group of girls took notice of the embrace. Since it was a funeral they all found it was inappropriate to say anything about it until afterwards.

Hinata was there for Naruto the entire time and did her best to cheer him up afterwards with whisperings of nonsense words in a soothing tone to help calm him.

END FLASHBACK

Hinata had finally reached the Hyuuga compound where the guards out front gave her a respectful welcome home.

She had finally entered her room and looked at the pictures of herself and Naruto on the wall and softly sighed at them. Often times she would sit in her room and stare at the pictures of her crush on the wall. Sometimes she would find herself talking to the pictures as if she were talking to the real Naruto; and she would say what her head wouldn't let her to the real one. "Naruto-kun… I wish I could help you be happy again. I miss that cheerful ray of sunshine in my life. It hurts me so much to see you like this, this is not who you are at all, I didn't fall in love with this Uzumaki Naruto…. Maybe once I find a way to make you happy you'll finally see me as useful. Maybe you won't love me the way I do, but perhaps I could be used as a tool and be near you… That would be good enough for me even if you don't return my feelings…." Hinata shed a single tear; then one by one more began to fall to the floor. Soon she had sobbed herself to sleep.

* * *

Naruto finally began to stir. "Wow what happened last night?..." Naruto took in his surroundings and realized he was in his own bed in his apartment. 'How did I even get home?' Naruto thought. He began to think long and hard about what happened. Last thing he remembered was big pupil-less lavender eyes and raven hair and the smell lavender with a hint of vanilla. "Hinata! She must have brought me here last night…." Naruto mused. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft timid knock on the door. Of course he had a hangover so the soft knocking sounded like a percussion ensemble.

"Coming!" Naruto slowly got out of bed but managed to trip over a carton of ramen. 'Man I've really got to get these cleaned up some day' he thought. He slowly turned the door knob and opened it to see the raven haired Hyuuga heiress standing before him with what smelled like homemade ramen.

"Oh it's you Hinata-chan! Come on in!" He said still clutching his head.

Hinata cautiously walked into the small apartment. She then proceeded to put the pot on the stove. "I-I brought you some l-lunch in case you were hungry Naruto-kun…" Hinata murmured.

"Oh… Thanks Hinata-chan. I'll get some bowels and drinks for us"

"No, no. I'll do it for you Naruto-kun. I can tell you've got a bit of a hangover from last night."

Naruto thanked Hinata and sat on his couch. Hinata poured the bowls of ramen and got cups of water for her and her crush. She walked over handing his bowl and drink to him, then sliding next to him with hers. The two ninjas of Konoha ate in silence.

Naruto burped loudly causing Hinata to blush and giggle. "That was tasty! You make the best homemade ramen ever Hinata-chan!" Hinata blushed a deeper red at his compliment.

'He perked up rather quickly for someone who has a hangover' Hinata thought. She cleaned up her and Naruto's bowls and glasses then placed them in the sink. "So… Ano N-Naruto-kun?"

"Yes Hinata-chan?"

"Ano, the girls and I were going out to eat tonight… A-and each of us were supposed to bring a d-date… I was wondering i-if you w-would like to g-go with me?" asked Hinata. It truly took all of her strength to ask this single question. Her face had gone beat red and it still took more power of will to keep her from passing out in front of him.

"Ano… Sure Hinata-chan what time should I pick you up?"

Hinata made a muffled squeal that she tried to mask by covering her mouth with her hand. As soon as she realized Naruto had heard it, she colored a deeper mask of red. "Great! I'll be ready at 7! Dress nicely!" Hinata quickly hugged Naruto, which caught him by surprise and dashed out of the apartment so she no longer had to contain her excitement.

"Man that was weird, I don't know why she's so excited…. I mean were just going as friends right?..."Naruto thought out loud. He looked around his home in confusion, "Right…?"

* * *

**Ohhh what will happen on their "date"? Nobody knows! Will Hinata finally confess her love? Will Naruto ever get a clue? Will I get a life? Tune in next time to see how this story begins to unfold! *uses the escape jutsu***


	3. A little help from a Friend

**Surprise! A second chapter in a day! You are welcome haha. I'll admit it I intended for this to be more of a chapter that will tell what happens before the date. So yes it's kind of a filler chapter. I know, I know, sue me. Give it a read anyway, you may like how things will go. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **

**Naruto: Greyfire-sama does not own me or anyone associated with me dattebayo.  
**

**Hinata: 'But I will soon own you Naruto, just wait and see...'**

**Naruto: Oh hey Hinata-chan!**

**Hinata: EEP! *passes out***

* * *

Later that afternoon….

The door to the Hokage's office slammed open suddenly. "Tsunade obaa-chan!" Naruto huffed, "I need your help!"

The Godamie slowly raised her head from her desk, completely unsurprised by the sudden outburst and sighed. "I really wish you would stop calling me that… What's wrong Naruto?"

Naruto took a minute to catch his breath. He quickly told her all that had happened the past few days. "… Then she asked me to go to dinner with her with friends… she told me I should dress nicely for the event. I don't know what to wear, I've never been invited to a nice dinner with anyone and I'm not even sure if it's a-a date!" Naruto fumbled over the last word.

Tsunade smirked, and then chuckled, and then soon she was bursting with laughter. She really couldn't help herself; Naruto was just as clueless as ever. "What are you laughing at?! This isn't funny it's serious!" Hearing this made Tsunade laugh even harder.

Tsunade finally gathered herself and wiped her eyes while a fuming Naruto stood in the corner waiting impatiently. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry about that Naruto. It seems that Hinata was indeed asking you on a date. You're lucky I am a patient woman or I would have kicked you out of my office. Be glad that I'm willing to help you with this after rudely slamming my door open for the millionth time. SHIZUNE!" Tsunade called.

Shizune rushed into the office with her pig TonTon in less than thirty seconds. "Y-yes my lady?" she panted.

"I want you to clear your entire schedule for this afternoon and take Naruto shopping for an outfit to wear for his fancy dinner date with Hyuuga Hinata." This caused Shizune had a plastered grin on her face that she couldn't even attempt to hide.

"It would be my pleasure my lady. Come along Naruto." Shizune grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him out of the room leaving Tsunade in silence by herself.

Tsunade used the absence of Shizune to open her desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of sake and a shot glass and took a sip.

Naruto looked around in the clothing store and was amazed by the vast amount of clothing in the mall. "Woah…" he muttered out loud, "There's so much to choose from, where do we even begin Shizune nee-chan?"

Shizune looked around and cleared her throat, "Well first we should probably look in the nicer clothing section, that's where the kimonos will be. We have to find something for you that will stun Hinata and make her adore you even more."

Naruto blushed a little at that. Wait since when did he blush at the thought of Hinata adoring him? The pair of shinobi walked around to the fancy section and looked through a wide assortment of clothing. Things went from very elaborate and decorative to very plain and simple but stunning none the less. Since Naruto wasn't the type of guy who enjoyed flashy and preferred the more practical side he was obviously more drawn to the simple clothing. He spied a plain black kimono that was made of silk, and the ends of the sleeves were blue along with the hem of the kimono. On the back of it was the land of the hidden eddies symbol. "Ninety dollars… not bad…. I'll take it".

Getting a nod of approval from Shizune, Naruto approached the counter to pay for the kimono. Shizune had left his side to go look at the cologne section while he paid. She came back with three bottles. "Hey Naruto, you should test these bottles of cologne to see which you like best, although I prefer bottle number two."

Naruto took the bottle and tested them. The first bottle smelled almost like the ocean. "Mmm… I like this but I don't know if it's best suited for my personality." He grabbed the second bottle and sprayed it and it had a cinnamon sort of flare to it. "This one smells really good, Hinata would definitely like this. But, I feel like it would get annoying after a while." He sprayed the final bottle and smiled. "I really like this one; it has a very woodsy scent to it. It's very pleasant but not in your face, I think I'll take this one!" He took the bottle and paid for that one as well.

"Alright Naruto, go home and take a long hot shower, and be sure to wash your hair. Don't keep her waiting too long alright? Also hold doors open for her and walk her to her house. Please don't mess this up or she could be heart broken."

"No problem nee-chan! You can count on me!" Naruto made hand signs and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Naruto reappeared in his apartment and set down his purchases. He looked around his small apartment.

"Geez this place is a wreck" Naruto muttered to himself. He took notice of all the empty beer bottles and ramen cartons scattered across the floor. "Maybe it's time I took better care of this place…. Especially if Hinata were to ever come to hang out or something." He called up four kage bunshins and ordered them to clean the apartment while he went to go get ready for his dinner with Hinata. They all gave a salute and a "You can count on us" and went to work.

After finishing his shower Naruto stepped out in the living room and noticed everything was spotless. His doplegangers sat together on the couch making conversation among themselves. Not surprisingly they were talking about how they felt about Sakura and Hinata. They were very conflicted just as the real Naruto was. "Hey guys, thanks for all your hard work." The real Naruto said. His clones all gave him his famous foxy grin. He let them talk among themselves for a bit longer.

Naruto walked into his bed room and took out his new kimono and put it on. He put on his new cologne and stood in the mirror. The other Narutos snuck up behind him. One of them gave a whistle and while the others gave various cat calls.

"Hey looking good there sexy!" one called out.

"Man I swear some guys do anything to look as good as me!" another called out.

The real Naruto turned around laughing. "Alright guys that's enough, thanks for your support. I'm glad you all like this!" The clones gave him big cheesy grins and thumbs up. The real Naruto dispelled his clones and began to stroll out of his apartment and into the streets of Konoha.

He had finally arrived at the large Hyuuga compound. He walked up to the Hyuuga guards.

"What business do you have here Uzumaki-san?" one guard asked.

"I'm here for my date with Hinata-chan." Naruto responded.

Just then Hiashi appeared from inside of the compound. He had his famous Hyuuga scowl on his face as usual. "So you're going on a date with my Hinata. You'd better watch yourself demon boy. If you hurt her I'll-"

Hinata came out from behind her father. "Please stop father he won't do anything I promise." Hiashi gave the nastiest Hyuuga glare Naruto had seen, then turned away to go back inside the compound.

Once Hiashi was away Naruto's focus were purely on Hinata. She was wearing a white kimono with lavender flowers that decorated the lower part of the outfit, she also had a matching white parasol with a similar design on it.

"Ano… Hi N-Naruto…." Hinata blushed.

"Wow Hinata, you look amazing!" Naruto said with wide eyes.

Hinata blushed shades of red that weren't thought to be possible for her. Naruto had actually complimented her! That means he is actually recognizing her and her existence! She could just die with happiness; she felt herself beginning to pass out. No! She would not let herself faint right now, not when she was so close to getting something she's wanted for a very long time.

"Ano…. You look great too Naruto-kun…." Hinata gave a small smile.

"Thanks! Shall we get going? Don't want to keep the others waiting." Naruto said. He opened up a loop between his body and his arm so Hinata could put her arm between. Then they headed to Yakiniku for a barbequing of a life time.

* * *

**Interesting how things will shape up. Will there be mishap or will things go smoothly? What do I mean by a Barbequing of a life time?! I don't even know the answer! (Hasn't begun writing it yet haha) Please keep reading! Leave comments and reviews on what should end up happening if I see one I like I'll use it. If I don't, well you tried haha! Thanks for reading so far :D  
**


	4. Chapter 4: GO HOME KIBA YOU'RE DRUNK!

**Hey guys, sorry about the long wait. Finals week is almost upon us and I was having a little spell of writer's block. So here's this chapter I sincerely hope you all enjoy it. I worked on this for about four hours today and its currently the longest chapter today! Read and Review if there's thing you want to see let me know, or tell me if I should stop writing this and pick up curling haha. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Hinata if I did they would be happily married and having lots of children.**

* * *

Naruto and Hinata soon arrived at Yakiniku. As soon as they walked in the door they could hear Kiba's loud laughter. The hostess let the pair into the largest room they had to offer. They couple was a few minutes late because the Hyuuga compound was so far away.

They had entered the room which was crowded with their friends. Temari was with Shikamaru, Ino was with Choji, and TenTen was with Neji and Kiba just kind of invited himself. When Neji saw Hinata with Naruto his eyes instantly narrowed; he began to open his mouth to threaten Naruto without a doubt, but TenTen knew what he planned to do and covered his mouth turning his would be threats to harmless muffled sounds.

"Hush Neji" TenTen hissed, "Do not ruin this date for Hinata, she has worked long and hard to get Naruto's attention she would be crushed if anything went wrong."

Neji sighed and conceded. Soon the waitress came and brought the various meat cuts for them to grill themselves. Not surprisingly Choij was the first to begin grilling and eating his food like a machine as Ino scolded him. Some alcohol was served seeing as everyone was old enough to drink. The only ones who chose to drink were Shikamaru who would take little sips of sake every now and then, and Kiba who was just guzzling all his alcohol and would ask for more every few minutes. Naruto decided against drinking because he was trying to appear like he had his act together in front of his friends.

Naruto placed two slices of meat on the grill for Hinata and himself absent mindedly. He continued to stare off into space just lost in thought.

"Ano… Naruto-kun? What's wrong? I-is there s-something w-wrong?" Hinata asked.

Naruto snapped back to the real world. "Oh uh it's nothing! I'm absolutely fine!" He tried putting on his genuine smile but Hinata knew better. Naruto was still thinking about Sakura and how she Naruto, and Kakashi went to lunch at Yakiniku one time.

"H-hey Naruuutooo" Kiba said in a drunken slur. "I see you got over that Sakura biittchh and got with Hinata! It's about timeee, Sakura didn't even have any boobs! Plus she only cared about Sasuke! Hinata is sooo much sexier! She's got the curves in _ALL_ the right places and-"

Before Kiba could finish his sentence Naruto had rushed over to the other side of the room and slammed Kiba in the wall faster than anyone's eyes could follow. His eyes were crimson his whiskers had broadened, and his teeth were more beast like. Everyone stopped to watch what was going to happen besides Hinata who looked down and was fiercely blushing.

"Don't you ever talk that way about Sakura again!" Naruto roared. "How dare you talk that way about Sakura or Hinata-chan. Apologize now!"

Kiba was so shocked that it actually managed to sober him up a bit. "Ano…. Gomenasi Naruto and Hinata… I didn't know what I was thinking…. I think I'll leave now." Naruto released Kiba's throat and Kiba quickly exited the restaurant. Naruto's eyes had returned back to normal and he went back to sit with Hinata and rubbed his head. Everything was still quiet.

"How troublesome…." Sighed Shikamaru as he casually took a sip of his sake.

"Sorry about that Hinata-chan… I guess I'm still a bit upset about Sakura's death. And the way he was talking about her and you…." Naruto looked Hinata up and down without even realizing it. This caused Hinata to blush a dark red. 'Wow Kiba was totally right' Naruto thought, 'She really does have all the right curves in the right places… how could I not have realized this beforehand?'

"Ano… N-Naruto? You're st-staring at m-me…." Hinata fumbled. Naruto realized his gaze had stopped right over Hinata's breasts and Hinata had made an attempt to hide herself.

"Naruto you're such a pig! Stop staring at Hinata's chests!" Ino yelled from across the room. Everyone started laughing. This time it was Naruto and Hinata who were both red with embarrassment. When Hinata looked at Ino, Ino threw Hinata a subtle wink. Hinata quickly noticed that Ino was enjoying this. Meanwhile Neji was absolutely furious and was giving the infamous Hyuuga glare at Naruto, and was completely ignoring TenTen's pleadings. Fortunately Naruto hadn't noticed in the least bit.

"G-gomenasi Hinata-chan, I-I really didn't mean it I promise…" Hinata just looked down with a small smile and a still reddened face. For a second Naruto's fox enhanced ears picked up what sounded like a giggle.

"It's ok N-Naruto-kun It was an a-accident r-right?" the heiress gently sighed.

"Ano…. Yeah! For Sure!" Naruto exclaimed. It was like the whole room was holding their breaths waiting to see just how the situation would turn out. When they saw that the situation was finally over they all released their held in breaths and laughed.

"What's going on?! Why are you all laughing?" Naruto panicked, "Is there something on my face?"

"Naruto… You… big baka!" Ino said between breaths. Everyone just couldn't help but laugh at how awkward the situation was even Neji couldn't help himself. Ino finally caught her breath, "Don't worry about it Naruto, it's nothing."

Everyone continued eating and talking among themselves. Hinata was content to sit quietly while Naruto told her stories of when he was back on Team 7. She loved how he would really get into his story telling and how he would act out things with his hands. She loved how his eyes would light up when he'd get excited about certain parts of the story. She smiled at him soaking up every last detail. He was so good at story telling it was like she was sitting and watching the tale unfold right in front of her eyes. Her gaze wandered to his electric blue eyes and she was already hypnotized by them.

"Hinata? Ano… Hinata-chan?" Hinata finally snapped out of her daze embarrassed that she was caught staring at him.

"Huh? Oh gomen Naruto-kun…"

"Ano… So… Why did you choose me as a date? Now that I think about it… You're always there for me when I needed it like at Sakura's funeral."

'Oh Kami-sama…. He had to!' Thought Hinata, 'What do I say? If I tell him the truth he might think I'm a freak and never speak to me again… But what if he returns my feelings?'

"Ano…. I-I l-like you a-lot N-Naruto-kun…. You've always inspired me even when we were in the a-academy. You n-never gave up when everyone deemed y-you a failure. I've always r-respected that a-and my f-feelings for y-you grew."

"Wow…" Naruto responded. 'How could I have been so stupid? She has been here right in front of me all this time how could I have not noticed her?! I mean she's absolutely gorgeous and she always smells great. She has a cute smile, she always puts others before herself even if it means she would get hurt.'

Hinata's eyes began to well up and she began to sniffle. She lowered her head as a single tear rolled down her angelic face. She felt a hand lift her face and a thumb wipe her tear from her face.

"Hey what's wrong Hina-chan, why are you crying?"

"You didn't r-respond, and y-you looked d-disgusted with m-me and you r-rejected me j-just like my f-family…."

"What?! How could I ever reject one of my precious people? And how can I be disgusted by the Hyuuga Heiress. If anything I am absolutely amazed that you could even possibly like orphaned trash like me!... in fact I think I might even like you a bit…."

"R-really Naruto-kun?"

"Yes Hime." Hinata suddenly threw her arms around Naruto completely red faced. This caused Naruto to blush as well as he embraced her.

This earned a large collective "Aww" from the rest of the shinobi watching the couple; although Neji didn't like that Naruto actually returned her feelings but he was happy that his cousin was finally able to be happy.

The sun had long set and it was late at night. Everyone said their goodbyes as they had gotten ready to depart after paying their respective bills. Naruto had helped Hinata up off the floor and held her hand. They walked out into the streets of Konoha in a comfortable silence just enjoying each other's company. Finally they had arrived at the Hyuuga compound. Hinata looked into the night sky.

"The stars are really beautiful tonight…." Hinata sighed, clearly upset they had arrived at their destination so quickly.

"Yeah" agreed Naruto, "But not nearly as beautiful as you Hinata-hime." At this Hinata burst into a fit of giggling.

"T-Thanks Naruto-kun, I had a lot of fun tonight…"

"Really? I was afraid you weren't enjoying yourself with what happened with Kiba and everything."

"Oh no! I can't believe you thought that! I was with you, how could I not enjoy myself?"

She hugged him very tightly and Naruto returned her embrace. They sat there in that position for a while, Hinata inhaled Naruto's woodsy scent and sighed in ecstasy. Hinata pulled back to look at her long time crush and possible future lover. She felt his head coming closer his lips drawing her to him. This is something she only dreamed of, something she never thought would ever come true. Yet here she was about to lock lips with the man she's loved for most of her life. She drew in closer to him.

Finally their lips collided, albeit clumsily at first but soon they finally found their rhythm and deepened the kiss. They briefly separated to take in air but returned to kiss with more intense passion and surprisingly it was Hinata who first entered Naruto's mouth to explore his cave. And Naruto did the same to her.

Hiashi had been standing there watching the exchange the between his daughter and the Kyuubi container. "Hrrmph" Hiashi loudly cleared his throat.

The couple broke the kiss and turned away from each other red faced.

"Ano…. Hello f-father…." Hinata said meekly.

"Hinata come inside now. We will talk in the morning." Hiashi said sternly.

"Uh, bye Hinata! I'll see you later!" Naruto called. This instantly earned him the coldest Hyuuga glare Hiashi could manage. With that Naruto took to the roof tops and headed home.

When Hinata was in her room she activated her Byakugan watching Naruto to make sure he gets home safely.

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**BOOM! AND ITS DONE! What will happen next time on Loss and Love? *Cues dramatic soap opera* READ AND REVIEW or you will make Hinata cry. And who wants to see Hinata cry?!**


	5. It's Official!

**WOW! Hey guys, sorry for not updating sooner. Can you believe it's been a month? I've been dealing with a few things, like summer semester and writer's block and general laziness haha. (The last reason is why I kind of decided to not stick to a schedule) Ah well what can you do? Enjoy this next installment of Loss and Love: It's Official! **

**Disclaimer: **

**Sakura's ghost: Greyfire34-sama does not own any shape or form of Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. Well, he kind of owns me because I'm a ghost now and that's just not a thing in the canon.**

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Naruto had finally reached the door to his apartment. He reached in his pocket for his keys and took them out to unlock the front door. "Wow what a night…" He thought aloud, "I wonder when I can get the chance to see Hinata again, maybe even go on a date with her alone."

He slowly walked through his home which looked as clean as when he first began renting it from the Sandaime hokage. It was so weird not seeing all the trash on the floor of the little apartment, it was like he stepped into a different universe where everything was clean and sterile. He moved into his bed room where everything was also neatly put away and he took off his kimono, and slipped into his pajamas and put on his animal cap and crawled into bed.

Naruto stared at the ceiling for a few minutes thinking about what happened that night and its surprises. "Man, Hinata has really big boobs." He said to himself. "Wow did I really just say that? I'm turning into Ero-sannin!" He was a little disgusted with himself; but at the same time wouldn't any man be thinking the same thing? With that final thought he finally drifted off to sleep

**6:00 A.M.: Hyuuga compound**

A Pair of lavender eyes gently fluttered open. Hyuuga Hinata had woken up with a grin on her face, she had been dreaming about last night and the kiss she and her Naruto-kun had shared. She jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed hoping to see Naruto today.

She flew out of her room and ran smack into her father who looked upon her with distain. "Oh… Ano…H-hello father."

"Hinata. Why did you let that little demon brat touch you, much less kiss you? He's trash! And not worthy of the heiress of the Hyuuga clan. Do you even realize what could happen if he lost control? You would be in grave danger."

"B-but N-Naruto-" Hinata's eyes began to fill with tears that threatened to spill out and down her cheeks.

"But nothing. You are not to see him unless you are on a mission with him or training with him. That's final."

By this time Hinata had her head down was crying profusely and she bit her lip to avoid sniffling. She hated crying in front of her father, it made her feel so weak and of course Hiashi took it as such. "Y-yes f-father…" She sighed in defeat then abruptly turned back to her room. She slammed the door then jumped onto her bed and buried her face in the pillow where she let herself cry as loudly as she wanted.

**Later that afternoon:** **Training fields **

Naruto had decided to take a break from his training and sat on top of a large wooden post, the very one he was tied to as a rookie. 'How strange, it was just like yesterday he and Team 7 graduated from the academy and passed Kakashi-sensei's test' he thought. He looked to the few clouds in the sky, 'Not only could I not bring Sasuke back, but Sakura died as well…. Why can't I do anything right? I'm such a failure.' He stuck his hand in his pocket and picked out a metal flask and took a long drink of sake.

Just up ahead was the sound of loud barking. Soon Shino, and Kiba emerged from the tree line. Naruto instantly masked his sadness and self-loathing like he had done a million times before.

"Hey Dog Breath, hey Shino how's it going?"

Shino kept silent as usual. "Hey Naruto, I've got some bad news for you."

Naruto slid off of his post to meet the other two Konoha-nins on the ground. His face had grown serious. "What is it Kiba? Is it Hinata?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. When we were training and sparing she seemed off, she was very quiet and it was like she wasn't even trying. We had to stop before she got hurt." This caught Naruto's attention, Hinata was never one to be so distracted like this. "I asked what was wrong, and she told me that her father told her this morning that she was forbidden to see you unless it was in training or on a mission."

Naruto was silent for one of those rare few times in his life and soaked up the information that Kiba just presented to him.

"Naruto?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, ok thanks for letting me know Kiba. Do you know where she is now?"

"She was really depressed so she went back home. Anytime she wasn't training she would go back to the Hyuuga compound and be in her room." said Shino.

"Alright, I think I'll head home and think about how to fix this." muttered Naruto. He gave them a short wave and took off towards home.

"Ja ne!" Kiba shouted and waved madly at his rival while Shino gave a reserved hand raise.

**9:00: Just a few yards away from the Hyuuga compound**

"Kage bunshin!" a familiar voice whispered from around the corner.

The clone went up to talk to the guards of the compound.

"Uh hey is Hinata-san home?" Naruto's clone asked innocently

"Hiashi-sama forbade you from seeing Hinata-sama outside of business. Please leave or we will force you to go."

"Oh haha sorry! I didn't mean to cause any trouble!" the clone rubbed the back of his head and walked away from the compound then finally disappeared.

Meanwhile the real Naruto had long infiltrated the compound during the exchange. He had no real idea of where Hinata's room could be so he created a henge to resemble a Hyuuga clan branch member guard and he would stalk the guards until he found the area with the second most guard concentration. Soon he heard what sounded like someone sobbing behind the door he was next too. 'I'll bet this is where Hinata-chan's room is!' he thought excitedly. When the other guards had passed her room he quietly hung back then slowly opened her door and stepped in.

"Hinata-sama." Naruto said with his best male Hyuuga imitation. He almost couldn't hold himself together because he was laughing at the situation.

Hinata sniffled and dried her delicate eyes with one palm. "Y-yes?"

"There's someone here to see you."

"Oh no thanks…. I really don't want to see anyone." Naruto dropped the henge and gave her his foxy smile.

"Are you sure about that Hinata-hime?"

Hinata's eyes widened in disbelief. Then the next instant she jumped into his arms and kissed him which totally caught Naruto by surprise. He knew he couldn't resist so he kissed her back.

"How did you get passed the guards?" she whispered.

"Oh I have my ways." He threw her a wink which made her turn red. "Let's get out of here!"

He made another clone and had it transform into Hinata so no one would notice she was gone.

"Wait! I have to change! Don't look!" Naruto turned his back to her but couldn't resist looking out of the corner of his eye. Her body was probably the most perfect thing he'd ever seen and all the curves were in the right places. He looked away so he couldn't be caught.

"I-I'm ready…" Hinata said with a faint blush on her face.

Naruto grabbed her wrist firmly, but not too firm and jumped out the window. Hinata couldn't help but giggle with pure excitement. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"I don't know yet didn't think I'd get this far!" she had to laugh it his antics. She loved how spontaneous he always was and how it always worked out in the end for him.

It was quiet in Konoha at night while our favorite unofficial couple laughed and giggled together. They walked the nearly empty streets just enjoying each other's company hand-in-hand while other people stared at the two. The looks were a mixed bag of sorts, some were looks of disgusts, others were more relieved, and others were just plain shocked.

"N-Naruto-kun they're s-st-staring at us" says Hinata. Naruto wasn't blind to the different looks they have been given because he was used to getting all sorts of looks, but most of them were just filled with hate. It was almost weird to get these new expressions on the villager's faces.

"Haha that's just because they're jealous!" said Naruto flashing her his famous foxy grin. Hinata turned a deep shade of red. "You're pretty adorable when you blush like that you know."

She gasped at his statement, "R-really?" 'He thinks I'm adorable… I feel the corners of my vision going black, I can't faint, not when he's actually complimenting me!'.

"Yeah totally hime!"

She again had to hold tight to consciousness for fear of ruining the second best night of her life.

"Um hey ano, Hinata-chan?" Naruto said while nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Y-yes N-Naruto-kun?"

"Ano," he gulped, "I really like you a lot, and I was wondering if… You'd… ya know, be my girlfriend?"

Hinata stood there in shock and then slowly recovered. She ran to hug him.

'Oh Kami-sama! Please don't hit me!' Naruto thought and braced himself for what he thought was to come.

Hinata's arms wrapped around his neck, Naruto was still tense from how he thought was going to happen but finally loosened up and hugged her back.

"Naruto I thought you'd never ask!" she whispered excitedly in his ear.

'Wow… Why did I think she was going to hit me? Hinata's different from Ino and Sakura, she'd never hurt me.' Naruto picked her up and spun her around in a circle and kissed her.

They both were grinning like idiots. Naruto dug around in his pockets for a moment and handed Hinata a set of keys.

"Ano, N-Naruto-kun, w-what are these for?"

"These are the keys to my apartment, feel free to visit whenever you want. And you don't have to call me Naruto-kun anymore, it's just Naruto from now on."

She looked at him with almost a look of disbelief in her eyes. He had just given her a key to his apartment, and she could visit him anytime she felt like it. She looked at the keys as if they were made of gold.

"But Naruto, how will you get inside?" She asked quietly.

"Oh don't worry, I have a key I keep underneath my mat."

It was about three in the morning and the pair of young shinobi were tired from being out so late.

"Hey Hinata, I think it's time for us to head back don't you think?"

Hinata sighed a breath of sadness, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I don't want to be exhausted when I get up."

"Alright, I'll walk you back."

They walked back to the Hyuuga compound with Naruto's hand around Hinata's waist and her arm around his shoulder in a comfortable silence. The village of Konoha had long since gone to bed and the streets were empty. The silence gave them time to just listen to each other's breathing patterns and footsteps on the path to Hinata's home.

They had arrived at the window where Hinata and Naruto had jumped out of previously.

"Well, here we are" said Naruto with a bit of disappointment in his tone.

"Yeah, ano, I'll see you later?" Hinata asked tentatively.

"Definitely!" Naruto pulled her into his strong arms and held her just for a few minutes, while taking in her soft lavender scent. Then pulled back and kissed her. "Ja ne…"

"See you later Naruto." Hinata climbed back into the window, while Naruto dispelled his clone. She gave a gentle wave at him, and he waved back. Hinata once again watched the love of her life walk away from her home.

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**Aww how sweet! Hinata and Naruto's first date alone! I'm really excited to see how the next day will pan out! Next time on Loss and Love: Hinata doesn't see Naruto all day long, and Naruto is left alone to his thoughts and his alcohol. Could this potentially be a relationship killer on day two? Will I ever update in a timely manner? Who knows! Read and review or the ghost of Sakura will haunt you in your sleep.  
**

**Sakura's ghost: SHANNARO!**


	6. Ch 6: Slow Healing wounds

**Good day my faithful readers! I finally was able to sit down and write this chapter. I think you all will enjoy the change of pace. That or you can hate me for it... I'll cry if you don't like it. Well anyhow on with the story after a short message from our sponsors.**

**Killer Bee: Greyfire-sama doesn't own Naruto or any of its characters! Not even me Killer Bee! BAKAYAROU KONOYAROU!**

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The morning came as usual in Konoha. The villagers were filling the streets and bustling about doing their various chores and activities like they have been since the village was founded. In a small apartment stirs Konoha's favorite loud mouth blonde. Naruto slowly opened his eyes and looked around his cramped room, then settled his gaze outside. It was a beautiful day outside the sun had already risen above the horizon line and the birds were singing.

Naruto got up from his bed and stretched his arms and legs. "Ah, what a night… I really can't wait to see Hinata-hime again…" He yawned and began to remove his pajamas and put on a pair of black shorts, a tan colored t-shirt with Konoha's leaf symbol on it; then proceeded to slip on his sandals. Naruto had a day off today, and wanted nothing more but to spend it with that beautiful lavender eyed girl of his.

He entered his kitchen and grabbed three cups of instant miso ramen and emptied them into a pot of boiling water. A few minutes later he was ready to eat. "mmm… maybe I should stop by the bakery and surprise her with cinnamon rolls, Shino told me they were her favorite food." He thought out loud. "Once I'm finished here I think I'll pay her a visit."

He soon finished his bowl and slurped up the last of the broth and dropped his bowl in the sink. After that he exited his home and locked the door.

He walked out into the streets and saw some of his shinobi friends here and there and he would always greet them from a far until Neji crossed his path.

"Hey Neji-san, how's it going?" Naruto greeted

"I'm alright, just headed out to run an errand for Hiashi-sama before the clan meeting begins." Neji responded in a matter of fact sort of way.

"Clan meeting? Does Hinata-chan have to be there?"

"Yes, she is always required to be in meetings dealing with our clan's affairs. Unfortunately the meeting will be all day and will most likely end about 10 pm." Neji said.

"Oh I see… Well thanks anyway…." Naruto said dejectedly.

"I'm sorry Naruto. I know it's hard for you do deal with; believe me my cousin would want to be with you as well. The only reason I approve you even being around her is because you tend to give her this courage and strength she didn't even believe she had within herself."

Naruto's eyes lifted and he perked up a little when he heard Neji's words.

"Wow… I never knew I could have such an effect on her…."

"You have that effect on everyone it seems, ever since the Chuunin exams I've never been the same thanks to you. Well enough chit chat, I need to get going before Hiashi-sama gets suspicious of my activities. Goodbye Naruto-san."

"Bye Neji."

Naruto turned to go back home seeing that his plans had been ruined for the day. His eyes hung low as he walked and as a result he ran right in to a man wearing red with long white hair, a forehead protector that had the kanji for Oil engraved in it.

"Hey Naruto, how's my favorite protégé doing? Word on the street is you've got a new girlfriend, tell me all about her! Don't spare any details!" the toad sage inquired with a thirsty look in his eyes.

"Oh hey Ero-sannin. I'm okay just a little bummed because I can't see my Hinata-hime"

At the name of the girl Naruto was with Jiraiya's eyes widened. "You don't mean the Hyuuga clan's Heiress do you?!"

"The very same."

"Wow, what is she like?!"

Naruto paused for a moment, "She's very quiet but has a strong urge to prove to everyone that she is strong enough to lead the Hyuuga clan, and show them that she is a worthy leader despite her warm caring nature. She is very loyal to her friends and myself." Naruto quietly responded

"So the real question is… what's her cup size?!" said Jirayia with a bit of drool on the side of his face.

Naruto sweat dropped.

"If you must know Ero-sannin she's a double D." Naruto said with a hint of annoyance.

"Haha! That's my boy! Just like his mentor!"

"I'll never be as perverted as you are Ero-sannin."

"Ah trust me you will be someday, when you're older. Hey so what are you doing later tonight?"

"Nothing. My plans were wrecked remember?"

"That's right, well why don't you come with me to the pub and have a few drinks tonight?"

"Eh, I'll think about it." Naruto hesitantly responded.

"Well if you do decide on coming you know where to find me! I'm headed to Tsunade's office so I'll catch you later!" the Sannin disappeared with a poof.

Naruto finally reached his apartment. He dug his hand in his pocket and grabbed his keys and unlocked his door. He casually strolled in and sat on his bed, lost in thought. He again looked out his window like he had previously done in the morning and saw a bush of pink flowers and thought of Sakura. Although he had no feelings for Sakura anymore she was still a friend, almost like a sister. The image of her life force slowly draining like the color from her face was still burned in his memory. Even though Hinata was a bright spot in his life, he still was having trouble with letting go of the pain.

He turned away from those pink flowers and wiped his eyes with his palms to dry the tears that spilled over his eye lashes and onto his cheek. He laid in his bed with the covers wrapped around him and decided to take a nap. Unfortunately for him his sleep was plagued with nightmares of that fateful day.

_Nightmare_

_It was dark and Naruto could only see a few feet in front of him. All was silent except for a howling wind rushing through the trees under the pale moonlight. He heard someone call his name._

"_Naruto… N-Naruto…." Called the pained mysterious voice. _

"_W-who's there?!" Naruto responded with a chilled feeling down his spine. _

"_I'm the comrade that you let die on the battlefield. The very one you said you loved since the academy…" _

_Suddenly the scene shifted to Sakura's funeral. Naruto was looking down at Sakura with tears running down his face. Suddenly there was a shrill voice in his head that caused him to cringe._

"_BAKA BAKA BAKA!" The voice screamed, "YOU LET ME DIE! YOU LET SAUSKE KILL ME! AND YOU COULDN'T EVEN BRING HIM BACK SO MY DEATH WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN IN VAIN!" accused the voice._

"_No! I-I didn't know how to save you! I w-wasn't strong enough to save you and bring back Teme! Sakura-chan please forgive me!" Naruto wailed._

_He looked at her cold lifeless body in her casket and suddenly her eyes flashed open but a strange white light glowed where her eyes should have been. Her hand shot forth and grabbed Naruto by his collar and pulled him inside the casket. Her strength held fast as he squirmed and Tsunade shut the casket with a slam while wiping the tears from her eyes. Then silence…._

_End Nightmare._

Naruto woke up in a cold sweat and gasping for breath.

"Man, what a terrible nightmare…" he said under his breath.

Suddenly a toad had appeared on his lap with a message on its back. Naruto opened the message and it read:

Naruto, don't forget I'm at the bar. You should come and relax a little, all the drinks and ladies are on me if you so choose ;)

-Your mentor Jiraiya.

"Maybe I should get a drink after that dream. I need to take my mind off of Sakura's death and be able to unwind."

**9:00pm the Pub:**

"Hey, Naruto! Come sit!" said the Toad Sage, while having one girl around his arm.

"Hey Pervy-sage. How's it going?"

"Did that kid just call you Pervy-sage!?" said the woman underneath Jirayia's arm

"No! No! that's not what he meant!" he reassured his "date", "I thought I told you not to call me that in public!" he hissed at Naruto.

Naruto simply rolled his eyes. "Sorry oh Great Perverted One" he said unapologetically. Hearing this Jirayia's "date" got up and slapped him as he tried to call out to her and get her to stay.

"Geez kid you sure can be a real pain in the ass." He said.

"Yeah, yeah I know." muttered Naruto.

"What's wrong kid? Something bothering you?"

"I just had a nightmare about Sakura while I was napping."

"Oh…" Jirayia drawled, "So you're still caught up by her death huh? Having a comrade who is very close to you die in combat when you can't do anything isn't a wound that heals so quickly…."

"Yeah I guess…." Sighed Naruto.

"Well here kid, drink this and feel better, or at least forget about it for a little while."

Naruto accepted the drink and thanked his mentor and took a long draft of it.

"Look over there! A busty blonde who's booty has got my name written all over it!" Jirayiah cried. He dashed away to chase after the woman and left Naruto to his thoughts.

Suddenly a very drunken Ino walked over and plopped down beside Naruto.

"H-Hey N-Narutosss…" She slurred.

"Yes, Ino?" he responded in annoyance.

"C-can you t-take me to y-your place? I-I can't get into my h-house, I forgotted my key…. Whoopsie! Hehe!"

Naruto sighed. He'd do anything for his friends. Even if it meant letting their drunk asses stay a night in his home.

"Alright fine, let's get out of here." He got on his feet and put Ino's arm around his shoulder. And they stumbled out of the bar and out into the streets of Konoha.

Luckily for Naruto, the Pub wasn't far from his house and he opened his apartment door and let Ino sit down.

"Ya know, Narutosss…. I didn't forget meh keysss I just wanted to come over and hab you all to myself hehe."

"Ino don't please I have a girlfriend!" panicked Naruto.

"I never told you this but I've always thought you were sexy…. And you mean that Hinattta chick? Why must I be alone? Why didya pick Hinata no one even likes her! She's so weird! You coulda be wiff a real women likkkke ME!"

With that Ino pounced on Naruto who was in shock of the entire situation. She pressed her lips up against his and unbuckled his pants. Naruto struggled against her weight but she was too persistent. Through Naruto's vain attempts to remove Ino he failed to notice that his apartment door had opened. Naruto had finally opened his eyes and saw his Hinata standing in his living room. Hinata eyes were widened, and her mouth agape. She had dropped her purse where she stood. Her eyes began to well up with tears and she started to sniffle.

Seeing her like this Naruto finally managed the strength to push Ino off of him and onto the floor and button his pants.

"Hinata, it's not what it looks like I swear!"

But Hinata didn't hear a word he just said and took off running towards her home. Naruto tried to grab her wrist but she wrenched it out of his hands. Just like that she was gone.

"You…. YOU DID THIS INO! TAKE YOUR DRUNK ASS HOME! I DON'T WANT TO EVER SEE YOU AGAIN!"

With that Ino scrambled up and took her belongings and stumbled through his apartment muttering things that Naruto couldn't understand or care to understand.

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**DANG! Way to go Ino. Just cause you're lonely doesn't mean you gotta go mess up other people's relationships! That's just plain rude! Will Naruto ever forgive Ino for being a horny drunk? Will Hinata ever find it in her heart to look past what she just saw?! Will Jirayia stop being so thirsty and finally get some water?! Find out next time on Loss and Love! **

**Killer Bee: Read and Review! Or me and Eight-O will fight you! Bakayarou Konoyarou!**


	7. Chapter 7 Rejections

**A/N: *Activates my sharingan to see senbon, kunai, and shuriken flying to my face. Then kicks over a table and hides behind it until all the "thunks" from the weapons end.***

**My deepest apologizes. I know you're all cranky because I haven't put out a new chapter in over a month. Let me just say that this was not what I intended. I had began writing this then my parents yelled at me for something that wasn't my fault and it kind of pissed me off and ruined my creative flow. So I put it off until now haha. That's alright, by the end of this you guys will love me again and I won't have to dodge various weapons anymore :D! BY THE WAY! Be sure to check out DeisuiNeko's stories! His story Snow Angels is probably one of the best I've ever had the pleasure of reading! So spread the love! Well enough chit chat, now on to the story!**

**Disclaimer:**

**Kakashi- Joe does not own me or any other Naruto characters. Are we good? Okay, now to go back to reading my book. *pulls out the new Icha Icha special edition signed by Jiraiya himself.**

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**6:00 am**

Light poured into the room of Konoha's Hyuuga Heiress. Her eyes were barely opened. She hadn't slept at all the previous night, considering she spent the night sobbing her aching heart out. She opened up her beautiful lavender eyes just a little to look at a picture of her love, only to fall back into a fit of sobbing again.

'How could they have done this to me?' She thought as she sniffled. 'What could I have done to deserve this? I thought Ino was my friend! But Naruto… To think he made me believe he actually liked me… How could he?! He played with my feelings like it were some sort of sick game! Well…. I don't need either of them! I'm going to harden my heart so I never feel this way again!"

Meanwhile Naruto was waking up from a drunken sleep he brought on himself after last night's unfortunate events. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Damn that Ino. I have to go and explain what happened to Hinata-chan, she has to be devastated…"

He got on and put on his orange and black jacket and his orange pants then proceeded to slip on his sandals. He decided to skip breakfast because seeing Hinata was much more important at the moment.

He ran out into the streets of Konoha and brushed past all of the villagers, civilian and shinobi alike ignoring their various greetings. Naruto was on a mission and was too focused for distractions such as greetings.

After a few moments of sprinting he reached the side of the Hyuuga compound and climbed up the wall to reach Hinata's room. The window was locked and Hinata was still lying in bed, her hair beautifully splayed on her pillow and her eyes were a touch red from crying. Naruto knocked gently on her window.

Hinata opened the window and just as Naruto opened his mouth to speak she slapped him across his face hard enough to leave a red hand print. Naruto's mouth was hanging open and his eyes were as large as saucer plates in shock.

"Don't even speak. How could you have done this to me?! You played with my heart and now it's in pieces…. What did I do to deserve that?! All I did was love you when no one else would…." Hinata said without stuttering. She realized she just revealed her biggest secret to the person she had spent years trying to hide it from. But that didn't matter now. He had hurt her badly. She had shed tears for him many times before but never out of anger or bitterness. Even though she was wounded and she was broken she would pretend that she didn't care at all.

Naruto's mouth was agape. She loved him? The Heiress of the Hyuuga and probably the most important Bachelorette in all of Konoha was in love…. With HIM? A dirty orphan who holds the kyuubi and was hated from the time it was sealed inside him. This was too much to take in, he couldn't believe what he had heard.

"I- " he started to say but was abruptly cut off by Hinata.

"Goodbye Naruto." Hinata shut the window and turned away from the orange clad ninja. Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her face. But she'd never show Naruto her broken side.

Naruto lowered his head, and turned to walk down the wall. He was going to return to his home to sulk. The villagers had turned their heads to see the normally loud and cheerful blonde with his head down biting his lower lip and trembling.

Among the crowd of villagers and shinobi emerged a pretty blonde girl with blue eyes. She called out to Naruto. She completely had forgotten all about what she caused.

"Hey Naruto! Why do you look so down" Naruto turned in her direction, his eyes narrowed at her and his eyes flashed red for half a second.

"Don't you remember Ino? What you did last night? In. My. Apartment." He put extra stress on the last three words. Ino thought for a moment with a blank stare.

"I-I don't remember… Everything is a blur… Did I do something stupid last night?"

Naruto snorted, "Stupid is an understatement. You tried to rape me in my own apartment! If that wasn't bad enough, Hinata walked in and saw us. She thought I was cheating on her with you. I tried to explain what happened but she ran out crying."

Ino gasped when she realized what she had done. "Oh kami! I am so so so sorry! I never meant to mess things up with you and Hinata…. I really hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me."

Naruto just looked at her with contempt all too plain in his eyes.

"It's just I'm so lonely, now that my best friend is gone it's almost like I have no one these days. I mean, who can I go to talk about my lack of a boyfriend? Who can I go see in the middle of the night when I'm upset? I can't really talk to Shikamaru because he finds everything just too troublesome. I can talk to Choji sometimes but usually he's stuffing his face instead of listening. There's no way I'd talk to Kiba or Shino and now I can't even talk to Hinata anymore. I feel like no one wants to listen to me these days." Ino's eyes began to well up with tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. In a few moments she began to sob openly with no attempt to hide it.

Naruto's face softened at this. He knew all too well what it meant to be truly alone. Although Ino wasn't quite to that point, he knew exactly how it felt. He did something Ino didn't expect, he wrapped her in his embrace.

Ino's tears came to a slow stop once she felt his presence around her. "T-thank you N-Naruto" she managed to sniffle out and gave a small smile.

Unfortunately for the pair of shinobi a very disgruntled Neji Hyuuga stood several feet from them with his Byakugan activated. "First you dishonor our family by cheating on Hinata-sama? Then you go around and show your affection for your little mistress in public? You aren't even a mile away from the Hyuuga compound! How low will you sink?

"We're-" Naruto began.

"Save it Uzumaki! Prepare yourself!" With that said Neji charged at Naruto full force.

"Fine have it your way!" said Naruto as he summoned a clone and formed a Rasengan.

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**HEY! WHO PUT THAT CLIFF HANGER THERE?! Ain't I a stinker? (By the way so sorry for the length of this) Next time: Neji vs Naruto?! AGAIN?! Will Ino find a way to make it up to Naruto? Will Neji stop making assumptions? Will Joe ever start updating on time?! WHO KNOW?! **

**A/N: Yes, it's a short chapter. But lucky for you, I'm making this a double feature! The next chapter will be out later tonight. You're welcome lol.**


	8. Chapter 8 The Past Hurts and New Joys

**See! I told you** **I'd have this out! This is my atonement for my lack of timeliness haha. Also I feel bad for leaving you all hanging last chapter. Well... Not really. I think it makes things interesting haha. Another shout out to my dude DeisuiNeko for doing some beta reading for me. Go check on Snow angels, as soon as you're done with this chapter. If you don't Naruto will start dating Ino. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: HEY MR. GAMAKEN! YOU SHOULD DO THE DISCLAIMER!**

**Mr. Gamaken: I will try my best, but I am ungraceful. Greyfire34-sama doesn't own Naruto in anyway shape or form. *slips and falls***

**Me: *facepalms***

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"RASENGAN!" Naruto stretched out his hand with the swirling orb of energy.

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

Before either strikes could land, both hands were caught in an iron grip. Both boys looked up in shock at the man that halted their attacks.

"Yo." Said the familiar masked man.

"Kakashi sensei? What are you doing here?" said a wide eyed Naruto.

"Oh I was in the neighborhood when I happened to see an angry Hyuuga genius attempting to fight my former student. I decided now was a good time to stop you two." Kakashi said with his eye making an arrow. "Now, what seems to be the trouble here?"

"Well Naruto cheated on Hinata-sama with Ino, I just happened to walk up on them and see them sharing a tender moment together. I was merely defending Hinata-sama's honor as well as the Hyuuga clan." Neji said with his arms folded.

"That's not even what happened!" Ino yelled. "We-" Naruto raised a hand to cut her off.

"Ino was drunk last night and asked me to take her into my apartment because she was locked out of her home. So I did what anyone would do and took her there until she sobered up. I was unaware that she was a horny drunk. She pounced on me trying to get me to have sex with her and I tried to get her off of me when Hinata walked in and saw what was going on. She was heartbroken and ran off…" he paused for a moment and then continued, "I tried to talk to her today but that didn't work out. I ran into Ino and she apologized for everything and told me how lonely she was feeling with no one to talk to and how she missed her best friend. So I gave her a friendly hug. That's all." Naruto explained.

"I see" Said Kakashi, he was silent for a moment then raised his head to speak again. "So it seems I'm not the only one still having a hard time coping with Sakura's death. It seems no matter how many times I promise to never let my comrades die it always happens again…. It's still hard for me to look at the old picture of Team Seven with Sasuke gone and Sakura dead. I often feel like I've failed as a teacher and mentor…."

"That's not true Kakashi sensei. It was my fault…. She gave her life to protect me, and I don't know anything about first aid and there were no doctors within a fifteen mile radius. To tell you the truth her memory still haunts me in my sleep. I couldn't save either of my teammates, I just wasn't strong enough."

With the Ino, Naruto and Kakashi all caught up in their thoughts there was a long pause.

Neji suddenly spoke, interrupting the silence between them. "Gomenasi Naruto. I should have listened to both sides of the story. I was wrong to jump in and make prejudgements about your actions." He sighed. "If there is a way I can help fix things with you and Hinata-sama I would be glad to help."

"I'd like to help too; but Lady Tsunade needs to speak with me." Sighed Kakashi.

"It's fine Kakashi sensei."

"Ja ne!" Kakashi smiled and used the body flicker technique.

"I don't know what I should do." Mumbled Naruto.

"Well, how did the conversation with her go?" asked Ino.

"Well I can't really say we had a conversation. She slapped me and told me how I hurt her and slammed the window in my face. I don't know what I'm going to do… I was starting to feel happy again like life wasn't just a pointless cycle and now this…."

"I have an idea!" Ino cried.

The two boys looked at her expectantly.

"First Naruto, I need you to go to the bakery and buy a lot of cinnamon rolls for Hinata. Neji and I will go to my family's flower shop to buy her flowers, let's meet up at your apartment when were done."

"Alright see ya there!" said Naruto as he took off down the street.

The three shinobi separated and ran their in the direction of their shops. Ino and Neji pushed pass all the various shopping villagers and the store owners. After a few minutes the pair reached the Yamanaka Flower shop. Ino unlocked the door and ran into the back of the store while Neji waited patiently outside by the counter. A few moments later Ino came out with two dozen roses in a vase and put money on the table to cover the expenses. "It wasn't easy finding roses this time of year, but I grabbed the freshest ones I could find. Aren't they beautiful?"

Neji simply looked at them with his arms crossed and nodded. "Indeed they are. Hinata-sama will be pleased."

Meanwhile at the bakery:

"Well hello there Naruto." Greeted the baker jollily, "What can I do you for?"

"Hey Ossan, I really upset Hinata-chan last night, and I wanted some of her favorite cinnamon rolls to make her feel better, in fact I want to buy all of them."

"Oh I see. Well luckily I just made a very fresh batch of twenty rolls. But because it's for Hinata it's on the house, she's such a sweet girl and my favorite customer; I really hate to hear that she's upset. Tell her I said hello."

"Arigato!" The orange clad shinobi replied and he took off as fast as he could while being careful as to not drop the cinnamon treats.

Naruto arrived in his apartment not too long after Ino and Neji arrived. While opening the door a thought struck him.

"Shouldn't I write her something? To tell her what really happened?" Asked Naruto.

"That's a great idea actually, let's go inside so you can write it." Said Ino.

"Well as long as you promise you won't try to rape me again!" Naruto said jokingly.

Ino just laughed. "Fine I'll try to control myself this time."

Neji just eyed the two suspiciously.

They arrived at Naruto's apartment. Naruto opened a drawer and pulled out a pen and paper and sat down next to Ino while Neji set down the flowers.

"Dear Hinata…" Naruto mused. "Where do I start?"

"First off say you're sorry, next just explain what actually happened. And maybe ask for her to come and talk to you when she feels like it." She said.

Naruto drafted a copy and handed it to Ino for her to look over.

"Not bad, your handwriting is really messy but it's readable. Be sure to sign it Love Naruto. I think she will appreciate the gesture."

Naruto quickly wrote the signature on the card.

Neji had to fight hard to not attack Naruto for just ending the letter to his cousin with "love".

"Good enough for me then." Said Naruto.

Naruto stood up and summoned a clone and scooped up the flowers and the cinnamon buns and the card.

"Don't think I've completely forgiven you for all this." He said to Ino slowly.

"I don't blame you honestly; I'd still be pretty upset with me too if I were in your position."

"Perhaps when this is over I will find it in my heart to forgive what you've done."

With that the trio left the apartment. Ino headed home, while Naruto and Neji headed to the Hyuuga Compound to see Naruto's princess.

Naruto had reached the front gate of the compound. The guards eyed him suspiciously as usual. Their looks of suspicion quickly turned to confusion when they saw Neji was with him.

"I just wanted to deliver these to Hinata-chan." Said Naruto.

Neji nodded at the guards signaling it was okay for him to do this.

"Just so you know Naruto," Neji began once inside the compound, "Hinata has been isolated in her room ever since I left, she told me she doesn't want to see anyone today except for myself and maybe Hanabi-sama."

"At least let me help you deliver them to her! I made it all this way to make things right." Naruto half whined.

"Fine, but just stay out of view. She has been rather upset and doesn't wish to see you or anyone else really."

"Alright then."

Naruto handed the flowers to Neji. They walked through the compound at a casual pace.

"Wow I've never been inside this place during the day… It's so big, and well decorated." Naruto marveled out loud. Neji just harrumphed and continued on towards Hinata's room; while completely missing the little detail that Naruto had been here at night.

At long last they reached the door. Hinata could be heard inside still sniffling, but Neji knocked anyway.

"Who is it?" Hinata called softly.

"It's Neji I have a delivery for you."

"Oh… Come in then."

Neji waited to until Naruto laid down the cinnamon buns and was out of the line of sight. Once that happened he opened the door and brought in the flowers and laid them on the bed, and left to bring in the cinnamon buns and lastly the card.

"This is from Naruto, as an apology it seems."

Hinata opened the card and began reading out loud.

"Dear Hinata,

First off I just wanted to apologize for what happened last night in my apartment. What really had happened was I took Ino home because she was very drunk and told me she had forgotten the keys to her house and couldn't get back in. So we sat down and she started telling me how she was lonely and how she thought I was sexy then she lunged at me. I couldn't pull her off, she was too persistent… And I hated to see you run out crying like that. I kicked Ino out right after that. She saw me again today and didn't remember a thing so we came up with this to apologize to you and make things better. I didn't know you were in love with me, I swear I didn't…. And strangely even though we've only been together such a short time I felt my feelings for you begin to sky rocket… I can't say that I love you now, but give me some time and I will be able to fully return your feelings whole heartedly. I hope you will forgive Ino and I. If you want to talk to me you can find me at my apartment again.

-Love Uzumaki Naruto" Hinata's eyes welled up with tears. 'I can't believe I was so mad at him. He didn't even do anything! I have to see him right away!'

Neji closed the door when Hinata started to get dressed to go see Naruto. He walked over to Naruto's hiding spot quickly.

"That worked well. If I were you I'd get home now so you'll be there when she arrives."

With that Naruto exited the compound with his inhumane speed that only he could possibly reach. He kept this pace all throughout the village, using the roof tops so he didn't accidently hurt anyone. Once he had arrived he quickly removed his clothing and took a very quick shower so he didn't stink when Hinata came over. When he was finished he walked over to his dresser and tried to pick something to wear. That's when he heard the lock on his door begin to turn. This caused Naruto to panic because he was stark naked.

"Hey! Wait a minute! I have to put some clothes on!" He called. Hinata's eyes widened a bit. What if she had accidently walked in on Naruto? She blushed at the thought of seeing Naruto's rippling muscles and his perfectly lean build. One peak couldn't hurt she thought. Even though it was against clan rules regarding the invasion of privacy.

"I may not get a chance to see this again for a while…." She said quietly. She activated her bloodline limit. Her face had turned a dark shade of red because her love was only in his boxers. She scanned his whole body looking over every last detail and burning it into her memory. Naruto had finally put on his black silk robe and was coming to the door. Seeing this Hinata deactivated her Byakugan. Her face was burning up with intense heat, although she enjoyed what she saw there was an overwhelming wave of guilt that washed over her. She was being a Peeping Jane. She was… a pervert.

Lost in her guilt Hinata failed to realize Naruto had opened the door and was looking at her.

"EEP!" She squealed.

"Ano, Hinata-chan? Are you alright?"

"Y-yes N-Naruto-kun… I-I was j-just thinking a-and you s-surprised m-me" she added a nervous laugh.

"Well okay then. Come on in. Take a seat on the couch." He said easily. "I made some tea in case you were thirsty."

Hinata takes a seat and adjusts the dress she was wearing.

'Man… That dress she's wearing really shows off her curves. I hope she didn't notice I was staring when I answered the door...' Naruto thought.

Naruto walked over to Hinata and sat down next to her after handing her a cup. Hinata took a long drink of her tea and stared off into space for half a second.

"Ano, Naruto? I'm sorry I slapped you earlier today…. I was just really upset." Hinata said quietly.

"It's alright Hime. I don't blame you, I'd be upset too. I hope you can forgive Ino she was really drunk and didn't mean to cause trouble."

"I do forgive her. She just didn't know what she was doing…" Hinata trailed off.

Naruto set his drink on the coffee table right next to Hinata's drink.

"Naruto?"

"Yes Hina-chan?" Hinata blushed a little at the nickname.

"I-I have a confession… while you were dressing… I-I activated my Byakugan and watched you…. I'm sorry. I feel so ashamed." Hinata said remorsefully.

"That's okay." Hinata looked up at him curiously. "When you were spaced out I couldn't help but look at your breasts the entire time we were standing there."

Hinata quickly covered her breasts. "Naruto! You're such a pervert!"

"Oh and you aren't?"

That caused the two to burst out into a fit of laughing and giggling. Naruto reached out and wrapped Hinata into his embrace.

"I'm so glad to have you back Hime." He whispered in her ear. This caused her to shiver noticeably.

Naruto pulled back and gazed deeply into her beautiful soft lavender eyes. The space between them closed slowly. Naruto let his hand slide to the small of her back and the other he kept on the side of her face. Hinata's arms were wrapped around Naruto's mid-section and she tugged on him to pull him closer. Naruto had absolutely no objections to this.

Naruto felt Hinata's breasts push against his chest which sort of turned him on. So he slid the hand that was on her face down past her neck and on her breasts and began slowly massaging it. Hinata moaned when he did this. She felt herself losing control of her actions. She so desperately wanted to give into what her body desired, what both of their bodies desired.

Just then she felt Naruto's hand which was on her back reach up and start unzipping her dress. She finally had snapped back to reality and broke the very heated kiss.

"Oh kami… I'm sorry Hinata, I was out of control… I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright Naruto-kun." She said catching her breath, "I'm just not ready for all of that…. W-we haven't been t-together very long. And I j-just don't want to rush things."

Hinata wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and gave him a small smile and a quick peck on the lips. She was quite comfortable cuddling with him for the rest of the day. Naruto pulled her down so she was laying on his chest and they both drifted off to sleep.

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**Well there you have it folks. Hinata and Naruto are back together again. YAY! And it was a long chapter too! Hope you liked it ^^. Now my current challenge is to come up with new ideas here. Please if you have thoughts put them in your Review or message me. The idea I like best will be used and I will give credit to the person who came up with it. NOW GO! Or the Death God will steal your souls. BY THE WAY! Don't forget to read DeisuiNeko's Snow Angels! Until Next time :D  
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